


this is beginning to feel like home.

by princesstomaz



Category: DC's Legends of Tomorrow (TV)
Genre: F/M, Nora-centric, brief mention of constantine, gideon is here too but when is she not??, mostly just cutesy fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-14
Updated: 2019-02-14
Packaged: 2019-10-28 05:34:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,681
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17781536
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/princesstomaz/pseuds/princesstomaz
Summary: Through different changes in her life, from her lonely sentence at the bureau to her joining the legends and starting a relationship with Ray, Nora contemplates the meaning of home and where she truly belongs.





	this is beginning to feel like home.

**Author's Note:**

> happy valentine's day! this isn't a valentine's themed fic but it's pretty angst-free fluff so it seemed appropriate to post today.

**I.**

Nora had been lying on her bed staring at the ceiling vacantly for what felt like an eternity. Ironically, time seemed to move more slowly within a facility constructed by the governing body of time travel. With all the technology and funding at their fingertips, maybe they had discovered some way of deliberately slowing down time within the containment cells to maximise the tedious monotony of her sentence. She blinked and pushed her body up off the mattress to sit up straight, she really needed to find something to occupy her mind if it was going to start drifting toward the territory of wild conspiracy theories.

Right on cue, a series of beeping noises echoed through the spacious room in a pattern she had learned a while back that meant someone was on the other side of the door about to enter. She knew who it was even before the door eventually swung open to reveal a gleeful Mona. Perhaps it was her magic. Or maybe the repetition of the same routine everyday had conditioned her brain to know exactly who would visit and when. There was really no way to tell and in the moment she didn’t care, she was too busy being relieved at the distraction. Her eyes landed on the large box in Mona’s hands with a quizzical look.

“I bought you some stuff!” Mona’s usual cheery tone seemed even more delighted than usual. She practically skipped forward, stopping just before the invisible barrier around the centre of the room and carefully lay the box down on the floor in front of her. Without waiting for Nora’s protests, she dropped to her knees and began pulling items of the box, explaining what they were as she did. 

Nora watched on, still a little bewildered by what was happening. Mona had gotten through to Director Sharpe and been able to persuade her to allow some more personal touches to be added to the containment cells but Nora hadn’t believed for one second such things would be granted in her case. The other cells in the facility played host to a multitude of fugitives, displaced in time by forces beyond their control. They deserved some care and humanity. She was different. A prisoner. And she was pretty sure prisoners were not entitled to the fluffy pink blanket or the tangled bundle of wire Mona had declared were pretty lights.  

“And a speaker,” Mona’s voice dragged her out of her thoughts that had already missed most of what she had been talking about as she held up the item for inspection. Nora shuffled to the edge of her bed, peering curiously at the contents of the box. “Oh and an iPod!” Mona looked up with a joyful smile. “This one’s a little old school and I wasn’t allowed to give you headphones but it connects to the speaker and I already put some music on there. And a couple of audiobooks. And all thirty episodes of my favourite podcast...” She was rambling, overcome with excitement at the prospect of being able to make the room more comfortable for her friend. 

“Thanks,” Nora didn’t really know what else to say but she knew the guilt would only pile up if she let Mona continue. It was a thoughtful gesture and it was nice to think someone had put in the time to put it all together but she couldn’t shake the feeling that she hadn’t earned any of it. “But you can’t leave this stuff in here.” 

A new pang of guilt struck in her chest at the pained look Mona’s face dropped into. She hadn’t intended to be so disheartening but it needed to be said. She didn’t want to feel comfortable there. The bright glaring lights, the uncomfortable coarse sheets and the lonely silences were part of her punishment. She wasn’t meant to feel at ease, it just didn’t seem right. 

“I’m sorry,” Nora looked at Mona, her mind quickly racing to find a way to explain that wouldn’t make her look even more miserable. “I see what you were trying to do and I appreciate it, but having those things is just going to remind me of where I am and that I’m stuck here, possible forever.” 

Mona nodded her head as she listened, the sad look in her eyes alleviating a little. She slowly gathered the items back into the box and carried it towards the door. Not giving up entirely, she set the box down and turned back to Nora with a small smile emerging, “I know it’s not the nicest place to be but you don’t have to punish yourself any more than you already have. It’s okay to have things to make you feel more at home.” 

_ This isn’t home _ . Nora held back the biting response, not wanting to hurt Mona’s feelings. She was just trying to do something nice, none of this was her fault. “Fine, you can put whatever you want up.” The second the words fell from her lips, Mona darted back across the room, her giddy excitement restored as she charged through the barrier and began decorating before Nora had the chance to change her mind. 

Nora watched absent-mindedly as Mona strung lights across the plain furniture littered through the room, her mind lingering on the thought of home. Where was home? It wasn’t the Bureau’s prison or the renaissance faire she’d left behind, that place had only ever felt temporary. Home wasn’t any of the hospitals and institutions the Order had placed her in, their only concern was protecting their vessel. Home wasn’t Star City, or any of the other towns she’d lived in as a child, they were too tainted by brutal memories of violence and pain and were so far in the past now that they didn’t seem real to her anyway. She didn’t have a home or any place that she felt she belonged.  Whilst she couldn’t deny the fact that the small decorations Mona had provided were bringing some small joy, her heart sunk at the realization that the cell she sat in was going to be the closest thing to home she would have for the rest of her life. 

“You don’t like it?” Nora looked up as a voice reached her ears. Mona was stood a few feet away, clearly noticing the obvious decline in her mood. The lights had provided a warmer glow than the overhead fluorescents and the blanket and throw pillows now adorning the bed make it look a lot cozier than it had before. 

“It’s nice.” Nora mustered all the happiness she could force into her voice. There was no sense in upsetting her or bringing her through her own negative spiral. 

Mona kept quiet for a second before another idea hit her. “What did your room look like as a kid? I know in this time there’s another version of you so maybe I could still get some of the stuff you had!” She didn’t know the exact details, only fragments of a timeline Nora had alluded to, but she was certain that in 2019 and the years before, a younger version of her friend was somewhere else in the world and she hoped that being surrounded by some memories of a happier time would make her feel more comfortable. 

Nora frowned in response, mostly confused as to where the question had come from and where it was leading but also at the disappointing answer she would have to give. She could barely remember her childhood bedroom. All the rooms of her early teen years blurred into one, the same dull walls, the same repetitive routines. She looked up at the ceiling, trying to find the words to say. 

Mona considered for a moment whether the question she asked had been to sensitive or unearthed memories that were best kept buried. “It doesn’t have to be your childhood room, it could be anywhere,” She interjected, with some hope that it might make the answer easier, “Anywhere that’s home.”

Nora took a deep breath and glanced back towards Mona. “How do you know somewhere is home?” She finally asked. She’d learned over the past few weeks that her questions would never be met with mockery or judgement, regardless of how obvious the answers might be. Mona had acknowledged early on that her life experiences had been different and she enjoyed their conversations.

“Um…” The younger girl thought for a moment, eyebrows furrowed in concentration. “I guess home is the somewhere you feel most comfortable, where you can be yourself.” She nodded, happy with her answer. “It’s the place that when you leave, you just miss.” Judging by the look of sadness and uncertainty that her answer was met with, Mona decided it was probably best not to question why she had asked. She glanced down at the watch on her wrist and remembered the tight schedule that meant there was somewhere else she needed to be in just a few minutes.  “I’ve gotta go, I’ll see you later.”

Nora muttered a quiet acknowledgement as her mind lingered on the words Mona left behind. A sense of comfort, ease and something to be missed. They were all foreign concepts to her. Frustrated by how much it seemed to be affecting her, she pushed herself off the bed in search for a new distraction. She wandered over to the desk and picked up a book off the small pile that lay there and returned to the bed, throwing her weight down with an exaggerated sigh. She opened the first page but couldn’t concentrate on reading, her mind wouldn’t let go of what Mona had said to her before she left. 

_ Somewhere you just miss.  _

What did she miss? Her freedom? She’d sacrificed that in penance for the hurt she had caused and in truth she didn’t miss looking over her shoulder at every turn, flinching every time she caught sight of anyone in a suit, hiding in a place she knew she didn’t belong. Did she miss the power that once coursed through her veins? Not since the day she saved John. She realized in that moment that it wasn’t a power she had control over anyway and she never wanted to return to a time of fearing her unpredictable magic. Her father? Those wounds were still too raw to dwell on. So what was it? What did she miss? As the question turned over in her thoughts again, she instinctively glanced towards the stack of books. She alone knew what was stashed among their pages. Ray’s letters.

Their correspondence wasn’t much of a secret. Director Sharpe had discovered the letters almost immediately and despite her reservations towards Nora, had enabled the exchanges to continue with Mona acting as a willing and enthusiastic courier. There was no real reason she had to hide them but she did it anyway, as if keeping them secret made them even more precious. She couldn’t help feeling a tad frustrated for admitting it, even silently to herself, but that’s what she missed, or rather  _ who _ she missed. She heard his voice when she read his letters over and over again. She could see his smile when she closed her eyes and remembered all the positive affirmations and words of encouragement he had so easily conveyed. She felt the warmth of his hands on hers when she lay in the dark at night, alone and desperate to be seen and cared for. She thought it was a weakness at first, a momentary desperate need to cling to any contact after losing so much but the feelings wouldn’t be dismissed. She didn’t miss him because he was nice to her or because he made her feel better about herself. It was everything about him. She just missed him. 

**II.**

Several months later, Nora hesitantly followed a path along the winding corridors of the Waverider, trailing a few steps behind the time ship’s captain. 

“Welcome to your new home.” Sara managed to conjure a slight hint of reassurance in her smile as she came to a halt in front of an open doorway. She tilted her head, gesturing inside, and Nora stepped past her. 

The room was significantly smaller than her cell at the bureau and about as decorated. There was no barrier and she wasn’t being forced to wear an uncomfortable jumpsuit but she was still being watched. Only by Gideon, she reassured herself, and it wasn’t like nobody else was being monitored. 

Sensing that the latest recruit may want a moment alone, Sara made her excuses and headed for the parlour. As she left, the doors quietly slid shut, leaving Nora alone with her own thoughts. 

_ Your new home. _ The thought of home hadn’t played on her mind for quite a while and out of nowhere it had sprung up again. The room wasn’t a containment facility or a hospital and the atmosphere was decidedly more relaxed than anything she was used to, but was it home? Surely a home was one fixed place. The Waverider was never in one time or location for very long and the temporal zone wasn’t particularly homely. She recalled the tattered books she poured over as a young teenager, gazing wistfully at pictures of happy families in pretty houses. Wasn’t that what home was supposed to be? A white picket fence and walls adorned with family pictures. How could home be the cold metal and bright lights of a ship that so far still held memories than were more painful than good? 

Determined not to let her mind wander along that less than happy path, Nora turned on her heels and headed out the door. Having free reign of the ship was delightfully liberating. Nobody was restricting her movements and she didn’t have the lingering dread of being on the run. She felt free for the first time in a very long time. She took a deep breath, not of fresh air, that wasn’t really possible, but it was still worthwhile. 

With a smile on her face and what was edging closer to almost having a spring in her step, she made her way to the library. With no mission to focus on, she intended to make the most of every second of freedom for as long as it lasted and although being suspended in the temporal zone limited her scope, it didn’t make the task impossible. There was plenty to read in the library. In several of his letters, Ray had mentioned a number of titles he thought she might be interested in. 

She approached one of the library’s entrances and caught sight of a pair of boots hanging over the armrest of the leather couch and as she drew closer, recognised the person wearing them. Zari lay across the couch with the back of her head against the opposite armrest, one of the ship’s thin silver tablets propped up on her chest, obscuring her view of the door. 

Nora stood in silence for a few seconds, deciding whether to stay or go and what she would even say if she did decide to stay. The decision was made for her as Zari became aware of someone’s presence and let the tablet fall backwards to lie flat on her stomach. “Hey.”

“Hey.” Nora managed a smile, suddenly feeling anxious in someone else’s company. There was still some uncertainty around her new teammates. She didn’t know how comfortable they were around her or if they wanted her there at all and it made interacting with them a little awkward. 

Zari sat up, sliding along the couch so her back was up against the armrest and she could look across the room from a more comfortable angle. “How are you settling in?” Her voice carried an air of sincerity and concern that put Nora at ease. She didn’t know Zari all that well but Ray had mentioned her biting sarcasm before and its absence reassured her that her presence wasn’t unwelcome. 

“Everything’s been fine so far.” Nora answered, smiling more out of nervousness than anything else but still quietly confident she didn’t look too unfriendly. 

“Good.” Zari returned her smile. She knew from her own experience, and the not so smooth transition of Charlie’s entrance to the team, that the concept was a little daunting. 

“Can I ask you a question?” The question blurted out before Nora could let herself second guess the decision to ask. Fortunately, it was answered with a few quick nods from Zari who was happy she’d changed the direction of the conversation and that they weren’t stuck trying to make small talk. 

As she slowly stepped further into the room, Zari curled her legs up to her chest. Nora took the gesture as an invitation and sat on the opposite end of the couch. “Do you miss home?”

Zari, who had been expecting an easier question regarding life aboard the Waverider or about one of her teammates, looked surprised. She could read the anxiety on Nora’s face, she already thought it was too personal before she even got an answer. It wasn’t too personal or invasive, it was just a difficult one to answer. “I miss my family.” That was the easiest place to start and she’d become a lot more comfortable with discussing her life before joining the Legends in recent months. They were in the unique position of both having experienced what the others considered to be an undecided future. She guessed that even from behind the confines of the cult that kept her so guarded from the world, Nora had some knowledge of that time. “There are some things I don’t miss.” She didn’t need to give details of the barbaric rules enforced A.R.G.U.S. or the misery she’d seen inflicted upon so many lives. “I guess it depends what your definition of ‘home’ is.” Nora frowned, keeping quiet as she listened. “Home means different things for different people,” Zari continued, hoping her explanation would provide some clarity. “For some it’s the house they grew up in or the house they start a family in. For others it’s different, it’s-”

“A time ship?” Nora interjected and Zari chuckled. 

“Well it’s not the most conventional one but I suppose. For me, it’s not the place that matters anyway. Home is where there are people who love you, who look out for you, who take care of you, who make you feel safe and strong.” She smiled as she spoke and Nora understood. The Waverider wasn’t her home because it’s where she’d spent a significant amount of time or because it held some deep sentimental value, it was home because that’s where the Legends were. 

“Miss Tomaz, Captain Lance is requesting your assistance on the bridge.” Gideon interrupted before she could ask any further questions.

“Duty calls.” Zari offered one last smile before picking up her tablet and leaving to find Sara.

Nora looked down, mindlessly picking at a loose thread from the cuff of her shirt that she’d pulled down almost completely over her hands. Zari’s definition of home being certain people rather than a particular place felt less removed than her own ideas of some unattainable storybook image of a perfect family home. 

_ Home is where there are people who love you, who look out for you, who take care of you, who make you feel safe and strong. _

When she thought of people who loved her, the first and only figures that came to mind were her parents. In retrospect she knew they weren’t the beacons of morality and goodness she believed them to be as a child. Her father in particular had caused more hurt than could ever be forgiven. Their relationship had been dysfunctional to say the least but she still felt they loved each other. Didn’t he care enough about her to sacrifice his life for her? Despite how much she’d tried to forget about the troubled days of her life, she could vividly recall that day in Jitters when he had appeared to guide her to the Order after she’d suffered through the grief of losing him the first time. She remembered how she longed for the familiarity of his arms around her and to hear him tell her she would be okay. Was that home? 

Nora blinked, suddenly aware of the tear rolling down her cheek. She knew her father had been a monster and no sacrifice could redeem his actions. The sadness she felt wasn’t for him, it was for herself. Regardless of what he’d done, he was likely to be the only home she would ever know. Did she really deserve anything better? 

She brushed away her tears, drying her cheeks quickly with the sleeve of her shirt as the sound of approaching footsteps reached the library. It didn’t matter who it was, she couldn’t have anyone see her looking so vulnerable. In her efforts to make herself look more presentable and not seem so obviously upset by her own thoughts, she hadn’t seen a tall figure stop just a few paces inside the room. 

“What’s wrong?” A familiar voice with more tenderness and concern than she thought she ever deserved caused her to look her up and acknowledge Ray standing in front of her. 

She could try and shrug it off as nothing but the look on his face told her he wouldn’t believe it so she decided to twist the truth a little. “I’m just feeling a little overwhelmed with all of this.” Not a lie. It had all been a lot to take in and focusing on that was less painful than thinking about what was really bothering her. 

“I’m fine,” she forced a weak smile. As much as she appreciated the concern, she didn’t like him worrying about her. There was still a small internal voice that told her she didn’t deserve it but mostly she just didn’t like to see him unhappy. “Really. I’m okay.”

Ray looked unconvinced but returned her smile anyway and decided to change the subject, he wasn’t going to push if she didn’t want to talk about it. “Have you had anything to eat?”

“What?” Nora’s response was as rapid as it was confused. Of all the things she had expected him to say or ask, that wasn’t on the list.

“Well you’ve been here for a couple of hours and I don’t know if you ate at the Bureau and it can be difficult to keep a routine in the temporal zone and forgetting to eat or sleep at normal times can have detrimental effects on your energy and concentration.” 

Nora had to bite back a smile as he rambled on about routines and living on board a time ship for a few more minutes. For a second she was hit by a small note of concern, wondering how he remembered to breathe when he spoke so quickly but he stopped abruptly, looking nervously down at his own hands. 

“Sorry, this probably isn’t helping you feel less overwhelmed.” 

Nora eventually let the smile she was holding back spread across her face, the first genuine sign of happiness she’d been able to express since leaving the Bureau that hadn’t been strained by nervousness or guilt. She was doing everything in her power to be as amicable with the team as possible and she knew it would take time but with Ray it was so much easier. “It’s fine. Getting something to eat actually sounds pretty good right now.”

With his usual beaming smile restored at her comment, Ray waited patiently as she stood and the two of them made their way towards what she presumed would be the kitchen. She was glad there would soon be food, possibly other people, and small talk to keep her mind distracted for the foreseeable future, keeping her from dwelling for too long on the rising confusion of emotions she was struggling to decipher.

Asking if she’d had something to eat was such a small, innocent gesture, probably nothing more than a random question he had plucked from thin air to make conversation. Yet it stirred something unfamiliar. She had spent so long looking out for herself, having another take on that mantle completely selflessly was almost alien. She wasn’t used to being taken care of. There were many who had sought to keep her protected but that was never for her sake, she was only ever a means to an end that needed to be preserved. After all she had endured, Nora didn’t need to be looked after, she had done just fine figuring out how to do that on her own. But this wasn’t some strict member of the Order or a patronising Bureau agent. It was Ray. There were no ulterior motives or instructions he was acting on, he simply wanted to help because he cared about her. He told her that himself on the day she turned herself over to the Time Bureau. She remembered it as clearly as if it happened yesterday, the time stone pressed into her palm, the warmth of his hand in hers, the look in his eyes that solidified her resolve to surrender. She didn’t have many good memories, or really any that weren’t scarred by her past, but that one was the beginning of her redemption, one of the first actions she had taken that were made entirely of her own agency and she couldn’t be happier that he’d been there to witness it. 

**III.**

A few weeks later, after Charlie and Zari had returned from a mission earlier than anticipated and walked in on Ray and Nora in a somewhat compromising position in the middle of the lab, the two of them spent the whole day giggling and teasing in sing-song voices that the latter pair were now ‘official’. 

Everyone had been aware that since Nora’s arrival, there had been some lingering tension between her and Ray. It had taken her some time to realize the truth of her feelings and even longer to admit them out loud. Not long before Charlie and Zari’s untimely interruption, he had found her surrounded by books spread out across the floor of the lab, lying on her stomach with her head resting on one of the open volumes, fast asleep. She was researching a fugitive and migrated from the library in hopes that the change of scenery would jostle her mind into action. She stirred from her refreshing nap to see him sat on the floor next to her with a cup of coffee, some of her favorite chocolate that she knew he didn’t approve of but she found to be the perfect research snack and a friendly smile, all of them just for her. As he explained how he had resumed her task to enable her to rest and brought her the small offerings to make her feel better, she knew she couldn’t hold it in any longer and hurriedly blurted out that she loved him. It was a small, quiet moment yet the happiness she felt when he revealed her feelings were reciprocated was unparalleled. They shared their first kiss, followed by many more that ended with her in his lap, arms winding around each other as they both completely forgot they were still on the floor of the lab. That was where their teammates found them seconds later.

The development in their relationship was neither a secret nor anything they were trying to hide from the rest of the team. Privacy wasn’t in abundance on the Waverider anyway and within an hour, everyone knew. There wasn’t any big reaction, aside from Charlie and Zari’s juvenile taunts that were more affectionate teasing than genuine snide remarks, and nothing really changed. Except there seemed to be even fewer reasons for Nora to be alone in her almost empty room at night, staring at the ceiling and wishing she could be in the comfort of Ray’s presence. During a team meeting later that day, they hadn’t been able to tear their eyes away from one another, still giddy with the excitement of their new relationship. It had only taken an off-hand, slightly sarcastic, comment from John about the two of them getting a room whilst they’d be stealing glances of one another to simultaneously spark the same idea in both their minds. Moments later the decision had been made that they were both happy about. Nora was moving in. 

To her, it didn’t seem like a big deal. She hated being by herself at night and there was no sense in pretending she spent any time in her own room anyway. She liked being in Ray’s room. Even when he wasn’t there, everything was so quintessentially Ray it was impossible to not feel close to him. The shelves were littered with souvenirs from past adventures and journals bursting at the seams with his scribbled handwriting and a whole manner of equations and calculations she couldn’t even begin to make sense of. Other members of the team had joked that the meticulous order and cleanliness of his room was almost clinical but she disagreed. She felt at ease and decidedly more comfortable than she was in her own room. 

Ray had insisted on ‘helping her to move’ which boiled down to moving the one box that all her worldly possessions fit into from one room to the other. She was growing accustomed to letting people do things for her and she wasn’t going to argue against him unpacking the single box when it meant she was able to stay buried under the covers with her book. She had given up trying to concentrate on the story spread across the pages in front of her. There was so much more delight to be had from watching Ray reorganize his possessions to make room for the few she had. Some concern had troubled her at first that she was imposing or getting in the way but his own joy at carrying out the task quickly dismissed her doubt. He wanted to make room for her, to make his space theirs. 

“Books on the nightstand or the desk?” Ray looked up from where he’d been standing at the foot of the bed, pulling books out of the box as he asked the question.

“Nightstand.” She answered with a smile and a decisive nod. She’d read each of the dozen books multiple times during her stay at the Bureau and knew it would be no trouble at all to have Gideon fabricate new ones but she’d grown a sentimental fondness for having them near, it was a nice reminder of the small gestures Mona had made and most importantly, they still housed all the letters Ray had sent during her sentence. She liked keeping them close, even if he would be lying in bed right next to her. 

Ray obeyed and emptied the box onto the nightstand before proceeding to arrange the books neatly in a line, toying between sorting them alphabetically or by the color of the covers. His process was interrupted moments later by hands eagerly pulling at the hem of his shirt. This wasn’t the first time Nora had attempted to delay his progress. Earlier whilst he’d been hanging her clothes in the closet, she’d whined loudly that she was cold and suggested he abandon his task to cuddle her instead. After his amused decline and insistence on finishing his work first, she sat pouting until another opportunity arose. 

“Yes?” He looked down with a broad grin. Her open book had been discarded and the covers pushed aside so she could turn and face him, giving her a better angle she hoped would enable her to drag him to bed. 

“You’ve finished unpacking,” she looked up with a sly smile on her face, “there’s nothing else to put away so you can come to bed now.” 

“Nora, it’s two in the afternoon.” He wasn’t doing a very good job at hiding how endearing he found her attention. 

“So? There’s no fugitive or urgent legends mission that needs your attention so you have no excuse.” She forced her expression into a stern frown, pleading her case with determined focus. 

Ray sighed, how could he argue with that? He gave in and let her pull his weight down onto the bed beside her. In the blink of an eye, she was in his lap, knees pressed against the outside of his thighs as she buried her face in his neck. A quiet chuckle vibrated his chest and he wrapped his arms around her. 

Everything about that moment seemed perfectly right. She felt warm and safe in the arms of her...boyfriend? No. It was too soon to say that, surely? Even if Zari and Charlie had spent the better part of an hour calling them every sickeningly sweet nickname under the sun, calling him her boyfriend seemed too eager. She brushed the thought aside, it didn’t matter. All that mattered was that he was there and he was all hers for the rest of the day and for a whole lot longer after that. 

**IV.**

“There has to be another way, something we haven’t thought of yet?” Nora looked at Ray, optimistically waiting for him to agree and let her figure out another solution. The most recent fugitive they had encountered possessed a unique ability to control anyone who wielded magic. That meant for her own sake, and everyone else’s, Nora had to stay well away from them while they still posed a threat. 

“Nora…” Ray sighed, he hated having to argue with her like this. Already geared up in the A.T.O.M suit, he was eager to get going and not leave his teammates without the backup they’d be expecting. He took a step forward and gently cupped her face in his hand, “I’ll be back before you know it. Now we know we can use non-magic to take this fugitive down, we’ll have the mission wrapped up in no time.” Nora still looked unconvinced with a pained look in her eyes that begged him to stay. He pressed a quick kiss against her forehead and stepped backwards, heading towards the open door of the cargo bay before she could convince him not to go. “I’ll come back, I promise. I’ll come home.”

Nora felt her heart sink as the distinctive form of the A.T.O.M suit flew into the distance, disappearing into the navy blue sky. It was getting late, not quite night time but the growing foreboding darkness made her feel uneasy. She knew she could believe him but despite all the logical reasoning that told her he’d come back, that the legends always found a way out of a tight spot, she couldn’t stop the gnawing worry in the pit of her stomach. Deciding that standing there waiting would achieve nothing, she turned on her heels and made her way to the lab to wait. What else could she do?

With a heavy sigh, she sat herself down on one of the tall stools in the lab and rested her elbow against the nearby table. The wait was almost maddening but she couldn’t bring herself to do anything else. She picked up a nearby pencil that lay on the table nearby scraps of discarded paper and twirled it over in her fingers. She tried to focus her magic on lifting the pencil to hover above her palm as a distraction, in hopes that the familiar surge of power would ease her anxiety, but it didn’t and instead only reminded her how useless all that power was if she couldn’t use it to keep Ray safe.

With her attention divided, the pencil fell from suspension onto the table with a clattering noise that snapped her attention back to the room. If she couldn’t find a way to take her mind off what was going on elsewhere, she decided she would just have to sit and wait until the team returned. Minutes and hours rolled by and all she had been able to do was stare vacantly at the scraps of paper on the table in front of her which were now covered in nonsensical doodles. She blinked, as if becoming suddenly aware of her surroundings and looked down at the scribbles. Most of them were atom symbols and the rest were runes she didn’t recognise, as if a subconscious part of her mind had thought to summon some semblance of a protection charm while she stared at the wall.

She stood up and grabbed the pieces of paper, wondering if it was something she should take to John. Although his power wasn’t quite the same as hers, Sara had still decided it best for them both to stay behind and he would be on the ship somewhere. She knew the doodling hadn’t actually summoned any magic, she would know if it had, she would have felt it. But if nothing else, making conversation about magical runes would at least pass the time. 

As she reached the open doors of the lab, she froze, hearing Gideon’s voice promptly announce the return of the team. 

“Are they...is anyone…” The questions came out in fragments she couldn’t bring herself to finish.

Fortunately, Gideon seemed to grasp her intention. “There are some minor injuries but they have returned safely.”

Nora exhaled, releasing the breath she’d been holding and ran towards the cargo bay. The other members of the team filtered past her, some bearing light scrapes that a few minutes in the medbay would fix. Finally she found him. Without waiting for him to look up and acknowledge her standing there, she crossed the space between them and flung her arms around him. 

The A.T.O.M. suit hadn’t been designed for such embraces and the hug was somewhat awkward with the body armour in the way but neither cared. Nora finally felt the tension she’d been holding dissipate and her mind finally began to feel calm. 

“Didn’t I tell you I’d come back you? That I’d come home?” Ray held her close, leaving a soft kiss on her forehead as she leaned back to look up at him. “I need to shower,” he pulled away and gestured to the suit, “and I think some repairs are in order.” 

Nora nodded and noticed the few scrapes and bumps the suit had sustained since she’d seen it last. Normally such obvious signs of damage would cause her to worry but Ray was safe and not hurt and she couldn’t bring herself to care about much else. “Okay,” she finally let him go and smiled as he headed further into the ship. 

Her mind now at ease, she took a deep breath and a moment to compose her thoughts. He came back just as he promised, he came home. The word seemed more poignant than she expected. Without intense worry to cloud her thoughts, the impact of what he had said seemed to take hold. She was home for him, or at least part of what made it. The thought was barely believable, that she could mean so much to someone. He’d told her he loved her before and there was no doubt in her mind that she felt the same. But to hear the word home somehow carried a greater weight to someone who had spent so long feeling lost and without a tether to keep her grounded. She had spent most of her life being a source of pain and disruption and now she was someone’s source of comfort and safety. 

**V.**

Shortly after the return, and following an arduous and in Nora’s opinion, completely unnecessary team debriefing, the team dispersed to finally go to bed and they were alone in Ray’s home.  _ Their  _ room, he took every possibility to remind her. Her forgetfulness didn’t stem from any reluctance or second thoughts over the move, she had assured him, only her lack of experience in accepting such positive change in her life. 

It felt like years had passed since they had woken up that morning and they were both relieved to shake off the events of the day and crawl into bed. Nora snuggled up to his side, the movement had become something of an involuntary reflex after spending so many nights together. He could feel the gentle exhale of her heavy sigh against his shoulder that she had nuzzled her face against. Her arm twisted from beneath its awkward position beneath her own body weight and snaked around the back of his neck, easing him without hesitation onto his side so they were facing one another and she could kiss him. 

As their lips broke apart, Ray quickly scanned her face for any signs of worry or upset, “Everything okay?”

Nora beamed in response, a warm smile filled with love and contentment. “Everything’s perfect.”

More than happy with her answer, he mirrored her smile and ducked forward for another gentle kiss. “I like you in a good mood.”

“Well the good mood is your doing so I should hope so.” Nora chuckled at her own retort as she shifted her arm to prop herself up, elbow pressed against the pillow and balled fist holding up her head. 

“Me?” Even after all the time they had spent together, it still took him by surprise to hear her say anything that indicated she reciprocated his feelings. Not for lack of effort in convincing on her part, merely the remnants of old insecurities that reared their head and told him he was undeserving of her. 

“Yes, you.” Her free hand moved to rest on his chest, fingertips aimlessly tracing winding paths across the soft material of his t-shirt. 

“What did I do?” Despite the confusion, he couldn’t hide the delight he felt to know he had been the cause of her pleasant mood. 

“You came home,” she answered simply before pressing another soft kiss to his lips. A peaceful quiet fell between them for a second as his arm wrapped around her, drawing her closer. After a deep breath, she spoke again, a slight hesitation in her voice that doubted whether the topic she was about to raise would dampen the mood. “I’ve been thinking about that a lot lately, more than I think I wanted to admit.”

Ray met her gaze with a look of faint intrigue that she had grown to recognize. It meant he wanted her to carry on and say what it was she intended to say and wouldn’t react or interrupt until she let him know she was done. His patience and compassion never failed to astonish her. 

“I’ve been thinking a lot about home, what it means and more specifically, what it means for me. There are a lot of places that I think I was meant to consider home but I didn’t and for the longest time, I don’t think I noticed how much I was missing that kind of anchor.” Her eyes dropped as she spoke, dark hair falling around her face as she avoided his gaze. He constantly reassured her that her communication skills were absolutely fine but during moments of vulnerability, she always became increasingly aware of how much she doubted their adequacy. She just didn’t think she was as good at expressing her feelings as he was, not verbally anyway. 

Nora glanced up, searching for some reassurance before her instinct to keep her eyes focused on something else took over. Ray was still watching her with the same gentle patience that warmed her heart and stopped her mind racing towards more anxiety and doubt. “My point is,” she could hear the distinct calmness in her own voice, an assured confidence in the words she spoke, “I didn’t have a home and now I do.”

An incorrigibly happy smile pulled at the corners of his mouth. “I’m so glad you consider the Waverider home, I did wonder if-”

“Not the Waverider,” she interrupted before he could continue. Typically she wouldn’t disrupt anything he had to say but she needed him to understand with perfect clarity exactly what it was she meant. His smile wavered for a second and she could tell he was edging towards disappointment in the fact that she didn’t consider the time ship her home. There was nothing about her life with the legends she was uncomfortable with or disliked, she was more than simply content with the life she was building but it wasn’t the home she was referring to. “It’s not the Waverider that’s my home, Ray. It’s you.” 

For a split second she wondered whether she had done the right thing in confiding in him. Maybe it was too much, too intense, or maybe he just didn’t feel the same way and would be too nice to say so. Her thoughts melted away as he leaned forward and kissed her. The tension she had felt building less than a minute ago eased away as she relaxed in his embrace, eyes falling shut as her hand moving from his chest to his face, wanting to physically hold him close for as long as possible. 

She would’ve been happy to have remained there forever but she felt him pull away and rest his forehead against hers. With the thoughts on her mind now out in the open, tiredness was beginning to wash over her. It had been a long day and they both needed their rest. Knowing they couldn’t stay there for as long as she wanted, her eyes fluttered open to find his charming smile that was just for her. “You’re my home too.” His voice was deep and quiet and after he spoke, he landed another quick kiss on her lips before the two of them moved together to settle into a more comfortable position. Nora smiled as she lay her head on his chest and felt the familiar comfort of his arms wrapped around her before drifting into a calm and peaceful sleep. 

**Author's Note:**

> i always try to write with american english in mind but i am aware that some things may go innocently and very brutishly unnoticed. feel free to comment if you happen to spot any. i also know my punctuation isn't the best. not self-deprecating, just recognising my own weaknesses. any other comments or constructive criticisms are always welcome, either here on tumblr @princesstomaz  
> special thank you to marisa who really helped me finish this and make it what i wanted.


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